PSN Crisis: Sony sued over data breach

Following yesterday's confirmation of an illegal intrusion into the PlayStation Network, Kristopher Johns of Birmingham, Alabama today sued the electronics giant for failing to take "reasonable care to protect, encrypt, and secure the private and sensitive data of its users."

In the lawsuit, Johns, 36, demands free credit monitoring and monetary compensation. He seeks to elevate the suit to class action status. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal recently voiced similar concerns.

"This action arises from SONY’s failure to maintain adequate computer data security of consumer personal data and financial data, including, but not limited to credit card data and the reasonably foreseeable exploitation of such inadequate security at defendant SONY by computer 'hackers,' causing the compromise of the privacy of private information of approximately seventy-seven (77) Million consumer credit card account holders," reads the lawsuit.

"Plaintiff is informed and believes that this breach of security was caused by SONY’s negligence in data security, including its failure to maintain a proper firewall and computer security system, failure to properly encrypt data, its unauthorized storage and retention of data, its violation of Payment Card Industry Data Standard(s) and rules and regulations it was bound to obey for the benefit of consumers concerning the storage of consumers’ private identifying transaction and credit card information, and its violation of California laws requiring the implementation and maintenance of security for customer information."

We'll continue to keep you updated on Sony's continuing PlayStation Network crisis as we hear more.